6-week workshop

the problem

Living with chronic or persistent pain is really hard.

It is frustrating as your symptoms seem to change from day-to-day.

It is worrying as you don’t really understand why this is.

It’s full of uncertainty as you wonder what the future holds for you.

It also goes ‘unseen’ by others. Often, not talked about. Which is curious to me, as 1 in 5 people live with chronic pain.

It often brings up feelings of anxiety.

Seems to get worse with stress.

It’s also curious to me that many of the thoughts, feelings and emotions that arise, are often contributors that make it worse.

Then, you’ve likely been told to ‘keep moving’. Get out and exercise, walk, do yoga or something similar. Get your core stronger.

But how does one move, in the face of pain when that usually makes it worse as well.

What can you do? It often makes people feel very stuck. That they have no control over it and just have to suck it up. Live with it.

There is another way … Truly, there is.

the solution

A process. Concrete steps to take.

• Research show that understanding, learning about the mechanisms, about pain systems, matters. There are new paths forward, you may not have heard about.
• How you can move, in the face of pain.
• How you can feel safe, when doing so.
• What are contributing factors that influence pain.
• Why your pain changes from day to day or moment to moment.
• How you can learn to ‘undo or retrain’ pain.
• What are evidence-based practices that help change it.
• Learn how and why your pain is unique to you. Changing your pain therefore needs to unique, tailored to you and your life.
• Context, matters.
• Your environment, matters.

Two aspects that research shows help to improve outcomes in terms of pain – EDUCATION AND MOVEMENT. We’ll cover both.

Well, those two as a basis, but much more. It’s not enough to understand, read about pain. Through movement and other practices you will feel, you will experience this change.

Which is powerful.

If YOU can change it once, you can change it again. Learn how you can turn down the volume… of pain.

living with more ease, less pain, can be your new experience

BENEFITS to you

• Decrease your pain and it’s effect on your life
• Improve your ability to move
• Better manage stress
• Improve your sleep, find ways to rest
• Get back to doing things you love
• Identify what brings about an increase to your pain
• Identify what brings about a decrease to your pain
• Decrease tension
• Tools and strategies available to manage life’s ups and downs
• Feel like you have some control, over your pain and over your life

What you will BE DOING

Gentle movement practices. Some standing, others done in a chair, and some laying down. Information will be provided about how you might modify anything as we go along, based on your particular needs or circumstances. You’ll learn how to decide what’s appropriate for you on any given day.

Learning about pain. Basics of pain systems, mechanisms, and neuroplasticity. Which I hope will at long last provide you with some understanding about how pain changes you and more importantly how you can influence or change your pain.

You’ll learn breath and awareness practices. Simple, easeful practices that can be used to help with relaxation, stress, and sleep and only take a few minutes to do.

Relaxation and/or distraction techniques to help you sleep better, or cope, if you are experiencing pain.

Attend a weekly live, Q&A session where you can connect with others, ask questions, talk about what’s going on for you.

Topics each week

• Week 1 – Safety, Agency and Movement Guidelines
• Week 2 – Pain and the Nervous System
• Week 3 – Stress, Life & Regulation of the Nervous System
• Week 4 – Breath’s Influence, the Overflowing Cup & What’s Just Right for You
• Week 5 – Contributors to Pain, the 3 P’s, and a Dash of Compassion
• Week 6 – DIMs & SIMs, Building Capacity & Resilience, Daily Planning

What you will RECEIVE

Over 3 hours of video: gentle movement and other practices. This includes approximately 30 minutes each week of movement and other practices to do. These will be broken into small segments so you can spend 5 minutes, 10 minutes, or do all of them at once. Whatever best suits your needs, capabilities.

2 hours of video presentations (each week, about 15-30 minutes in length). I’ll walk (and talk) you through what you’ll be doing each week. Information and education to help understand pain, the science and research behind it and why this is important. Also, what the practices for the week are about along with corresponding resources for each week’s topics.

6 Practice Summary Sheets: An overview of what was discussed in each week’s presentation, and what to focus on.

Additional Resources, each week: Based on the topic each week, there will be links to videos, visuals, research, additional practices to explore.

Weekly, live 60-minute zoom call: Time to ask me any questions about practices, content, resources and also to connect with others in the program.

A few added surprises along the way…

All this, yours to keep forever, for $25/week. Plus, some added bonus options you can choose from when registering, payment plans available, sliding scale if needed. My hope is this accessible to anyone who might benefit, both as it’s affordable and also that you can do it all in your own home, at your own pace.

Who this is for

You are someone who has had pain for some time now, maybe years, and feel like you’re really stuck and can’t do anything about it.

You would like to understand more about why some days are worse than others, or some days/times are pain free?

You are willing to spend a few minutes a day, engaging in some practices. It may be movement. It may be breathing practices. It may be resting. It may be exploring thoughts and emotions around your pain. It doesn’t have to take long, but there is a need to do these things. At least for a while, as you begin to turn down the volume of pain, sensitivity, the need to protect.

You would like to find some understanding, answers, meaning around this thing you experience, called pain. So bring some curiosity, perhaps challenge some long-held beliefs about pain and what is possible.

Who this might not be for

You are looking for a quick fix, or to be ‘fixed’.

I truly don’t believe you or anyone else is ‘broken’. Rather we can get curious, explore and uncover some contributors and/or retrain how you may have become sensitized to pain. We are, inherently adaptable. That’s where bioplasticity comes in – basically that various systems in your body have changed and … you can change them back again.

You are looking for the ‘one thing’ that will change everything.

Consider this. If pain was just one thing, why haven’t we solved everyone’s pain problem by now?

You are looking for something passive, done to you.

In order to Create New Pathways, to change your pain, you need to engage your body, brain, nervous system, your whole self.

I’m really excited to be finally bringing this online as it allows anyone to take it no matter where you’re living in this big, wide world. Also for anyone who has difficulty getting to/from in-person sessions. People do still like to connect, hence why we’ll have the weekly Q&A with time to do so.

Start Date

The next start date is tba. Following the first week, every Tuesday, a new lesson will be open and available to you.

Why this way and not all at once? It’s important to PRACTICE what is provided week, by week. Though afterwards, you can go back and review anything, at any time. All material is yours to keep forever.

Weekly live Q&A Fridays at 11:00am ET, on Zoom.

cost of the program

$25/week x 6 weeks ($150 total)

All the material is yours to keep forever. You can pay all at once, or make two payments of. If this is difficult financially in these times… please reach out in terms of a sliding scale offered. You may also want to add on a private 1:1 session with me with. I am offering special prices For You, This Fall. Check these out here.

I hope anyone who might benefit from this, who lives with persistent or chronic pain, has the opportunity to participate. All in the convenience of your own home. Truly, accessible.

get on the wait list